# Elucidating the role of sialic acids and sialidase in the pathogenesis of Porphyromonas ginigvalis

> **NIH NIH F31** · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $41,035

## Abstract

Project Summary
Sialic acids (SA) describe a complex class of nine-carbon sugar acids that exist primarily as terminal
moieties on a variety of surface molecules on mammalian cells. SA serve as a critical self-recognition
molecule in the never-ending warfare with invading pathogens. Many pathogens exploit this feature by
scavenging host SA using sialidases, a group of enzymes that catalyze the removal terminal SA from
host glycoconjugates. Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) is one of the etiological agents of periodontal
disease due to its exquisite manipulation of the host immune system to cause chronic inflammation and
dysbiosis in the oral cavity. Interestingly, all the genome-sequenced Pg strains have a highly conserved
sialidase. Recent studies have shown that sialidase (PG0352) plays a critical role in the pathophysiology
of Pg, such as capsule formation, biofilms, and serum complement resistance; however, its underlying
molecular mechanism remains largely unknown. The goal of this application is to fill this knowledge gap
by focusing on the following aims: Aim 1 seeks to understand the biochemical features of PG0352; Aim 2
is to elucidate the mechanism by which PG0352 protects Pg from the serum complement killing; and Aim
3 is to investigate how Pg acquires SA through studies of a putative novel SA transporter. The findings
from this application will provide new insights into understanding the role of SA and sialidase in the
pathogenesis of periodontitis. In addition, this multidisciplinary research project will enhance the
applicant's knowledge and technical skills in bacterial genetics, protein biochemistry, host-pathogen
interactions, immunology and glycobiology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10067075
- **Project number:** 1F31DE029999-01
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher Khoa Pham
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $41,035
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-06-25 → 2023-06-24

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10067075

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10067075, Elucidating the role of sialic acids and sialidase in the pathogenesis of Porphyromonas ginigvalis (1F31DE029999-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10067075. Licensed CC0.

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